Ranger Cookies

I love cookies. So much so that I'm on a mission to try as many chocolate chip cookie recipes as I can to find the very best one. Of course, this is completely subjective. The best according to me is crispy outside, chewy middle, golden bottoms, and a good dough to chocolate ratio.  Say hello to my third cookie on the blog (be prepared to see more, here's one and two).  It's delicious!  It's the kind of cookie that seems like your typical, boring, yet classic chocolate chip cookie but after having one, you'll be thinking why was that so different? And why was it so good? And then you're reaching for the next one. And maybe one more just to see if you can put your finger why it's so addictive.  Beyond the usual ingredients, it's crammed full of other stuff. FOUR kinds of chocolate chips, oats, coconut, crisp rice cereal.

Thanks to Little Miss C and her active social life, we were at a play date when I tried these cookies fresh outta the oven.  Of course, I had more than one.  Of course, I asked for the recipe.  In my opinion, what makes these cookies are the butterscotch chips.  I have never used this flavour chips for my cookies. I thought about omitting them or substituting them with peanut butter chips (probably a good idea too).  I'm glad I didn't.  Don't skip them.  And since they are quite sweet, don't add more that 1/2 cup.  Just a hint of the butterscotch is perfect.

Ranger Cookies

Source: D. Jackson

Prep Time: 15 mins, Cook Time: 8 mins

Yields about 50 cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp salt

2 cups crisp rice cereal

2 cups oats

1 cup shredded or flaked coconut

½ cup each semi-sweet, milk, white and butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Cream butter and sugar.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, crisp rice cereal, oats and coconut.  Mix well.  Add chips and mix until distributed. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of dough onto greased or parchment lined cookie sheets.  Flatten dough slightly.  

Bake for about 8 mins. Cool on wire rack.

 

Black Bean Brownies (Gluten free, Sugar free)

Lifestyle change.  Sounds better than saying I'm on a diet right?  Many will argue, it's not a diet!  So, that is what I'm doing.  A lifestyle change.  WHY? It's well overdue.  But I still needed a push... okay a big shove.  I got it.  My bongga cousin S is finally engaged and I'm thrilled and honoured she asked me to be co-MoH (along with the other bongga cousin Ice) at her bongga wedding. THE PROBLEM?  The total dress size for the other four in the bridal party will still be less than my own ( 0+1+2+3 < Me ).  Unless I do something about it, I will literally (figuratively and physically) be the elephant in the room.  I have one year.  Help me.

A cousin (I have 53 first cousins #truth) from T dot gave me this recipe about a year ago but I never tried to make it.  One of my main problems was I don't have a food processor.  Super Momma J kindly let me borrow her Cuisinart during spring break and I fell in love with the machine!  I made many things: brownies, muffins, dressings, even quinoa chocolate cake.  One success was these shockingly delicious and fudgy brownies.  It's not shocking for brownies to be delicious or fudgy but when they are made with black beans and are sugar free, yes, it's shocking.  The key was to make sure you process them until very smooth.  Scrape the sides down as needed.  Also, make sure you let them cool completely in the pan.  I love fresh outta the oven baking.  I made the mistake of trying these then and they were um... pastey, beany, gummy...not good. So, just wait.  Cool them completely before trying.  I promise they will have a soft, fudgy texture like you would expect from brownies.

Black Bean Brownies

Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 15 min

Yields: 24-30 mini brownies

Created by: Sonja Secker

INGREDIENTS

1 can (14 fl oz) black beans, rinsed, drained

⅓ cup coconut oil, melted (I used Canola oil)
⅓  cup cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
15 pitted dates (if too hard, soak in water first to soften)
3 eggs (lightly beaten)
⅓ cup walnuts (chopped – these are optional)
½ cup chocolate chips (get real chocolate chips – again choose organic)
⅛ tsp sea salt (I used Trader Joe's pink Himalayan salt crystals because it's pink)

METHOD OF PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place all ingredients in a food processor except for the choc chips and walnuts and blend until smooth
Fold in chocolate chips (and nuts)
Drop by the spoonful into a mini muffin tray (greased) and sprinkle sparingly with sea salt

Bake for 15 minutes
Allow to cool completely before removing form pan

A Soup and A Cookie (Chicken Kale and Quinoa Soup / Toffee Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies)

Here's a double recipe post for you.  One savoury and one sweet.  A healthy, hearty, delicious Chicken Kale and Quinoa soup and a chewy, nutty, sweet Toffee Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookie.  Yup, I made both today and ate both today, just so I blog this for you.  You're welcome.

Part 1: Chicken Kale and Quinoa Soup

It snowed this weekend.  Like a lot.  I was happy because I really wanted one last blast of the white stuff before spring.  When the snow started I doubted that it would last but the flakes kept coming.  I love snow covered trees and watching snow fall.  The girls were happy...I already fed them, bathe them, coloured, played games and watched some Disney Jr.  I was even willing to play outside again (we played Sunday afternoon) but Little Miss C said no thanks.  So, on a very snowy Monday, I let them entertain each other and while I spent the afternoon sitting on the couch reading (Insurgent, book 2 of the Divergent series) and watching the winter wonderland outside my window.

Front

Back

I felt guilty about my lazy Monday so I told myself to be more productive today (Tuesday)...I digress. My point is: it's snowy, it's super cold and I wanted to make soup for dinner.  I found this recipe because I liked the ingredients in it but I didn't really follow it.  I made my own version.

Chicken Kale and Quinoa Soup

Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: About 45 mins
Serves 6

Ingredients

• 4 pieces of bacon, chopped
• Ground chicken (or use boneless, skinless chicken thighs)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 cups of chicken stock (low sodium)
• 1 Knorr homestyle chicken stock concentrate (no water needed)
• 1 cup of baby carrots
• 2/3 cup of quinoa, rinsed
• A bunch of kale
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In large soup pot, pan fry the bacon until crisp. Drain on a plate covered with paper towel, set aside. Remove all but about one tablespoon of bacon fat in pot. Cook the chicken until no longer pink. Remove from pot. Add onion, garlic and bay leaves and sauté until fragrant. Deglaze the pot with some chicken stock. Be sure to scrape all the brown bits from the pot. Add the rest of the chicken stock and Knorr concentrate. Return the chicken to the pot. Add carrots, quinoa and kale. Stir and simmer for about 15 mins until quinoa is cooked. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve in bowls and garnish with bacon bits.

Classic: soup and a sandwich

Part 2: Toffee Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Really, these should be called Toffee Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Maple Cinnamon Oatmeal cookies but that's just ridiculous.  They also taste ridiculous.  In a great way.  I don't have much else to say.  The name says it all.  This is my adaptation of monster cookies found from this recipe and this recipe.  My house smelled scrumptious while these were baking.  They're great warm and still chewy when completely cooled.  So good.  So, so good!

Toffee Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen large cookies

INGREDIENTS:

3 1/2 cups oats

1 cup almond flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1tsp cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
½ cup butter (1 stick), at room temperature
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 tbsp maple extract (I used maple syrup)
1 package of Heath toffee bits

1 package of chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.

Mix together oats, almond flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, set aside.

Using the paddle attachment on your stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated.  Add peanut butter and maple and beat for about 2 minutes.  Scrape down the bowl then add dry ingredients.  

Mix on low until all ingredients are combined.  

Add toffee and chocolate chips and mix until distributed.  

Use a large cookie scoop or form about ¼ cup balls.  

Bake for 8-9, until edges are starting to brown.  

Remove from oven and leave on cookie sheet for about 5 mins then transfer to cooling rack.

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hubby is anti-Valentines so I didn't have any big plans for V-day.  This is exactly his opinion of it.

Lucky for me, I have 2 little girls so no matter how he feels, I still get to make a semi-big deal about it.  First, I decided I wanted to do a mini photo shoot with the girls.  Thanks a lot Pinterest.  I buy a couple of Valentine banners, blow up some balloons and make some tissue puffs.  Luckily it was a gorgeously sunny-but-freezing-cold-super-windy day. I bundled up my girls and thankfully, they were happy and cooperative.  Here are a few favourite shots.  

Then I decide I wanted to make a sweet treat for the girls and to give away with Valentines. When my long-time friend Nancy from gottagetbaked posted this recipe, the cream cheese caught my attention.  I thought V-day would be great to time to try because who doesn't like chocolate chip cookies? The only thing I modified is I added the Valentine m&ms.  These damn m&ms!  While Little Miss C was at preschool, I dragged Little Miss L to Walmart, Target, Superstore and Save On with no luck finding them.  Yes, pink and red Smarties were available but I'm an m&m girl.  Thankfully, CJB was heading to America and imported the goods for me.  Yup, that's right folks.  Had to leave the country for ingredients just to make these perfect little cookies.  I don't think you can taste the cream cheese, but it gave it a different texture.  The cookies were cakey, soft and chewy.  I don't like crisp, hard chocolate chip cookies so I loved the texture of these.  But I did feel that it needed more salt (it calls for a pinch) so next time I make them I will modify it to 1 teaspoon of salt.  

Hope you had a great Valentine's Day or Galentine's Day or regular Feb. 14th day!